Norwegian Family Unearths 1,200-Year-Old Viking Artifacts in Their Yard

They had been looking for a lost gold earring when they stumbled upon two bronze brooches

Sarah Kuta
Daily Correspondent
October 6, 2023



Archaeologists identified the finds as Viking-era brooches. Vestfold and Telemark County Council

While searching for a lost earring in their yard, a family in Norway instead stumbled upon two pieces of jewelry that likely date to the Viking Age.

Members of the Aasvik family were conducting their search using a metal detector outside their home in Jomfruland, a remote and sparsely populated island off mainland Norway’s southeast coast. When they reached an area of land underneath a large tree, the device indicated it had detected something. Intrigued, the family started digging.

In that spot, they found two bronze ornaments that local government archaeologists later identified as brooches. The larger of the two is oval-shaped and likely helped fasten the shoulder straps of a woman’s halter-style dress. The other, smaller brooch was circular; experts initially found it more challenging to identify.

Both objects had been engraved with elaborate depictions of animals, as well as geometric patterns, according to Live Science’s Tom Metcalfe. Archaeologists think they were once covered in gold, based on traces still present on the items.

More:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/family-in-norway-finds-viking-artifacts-with-metal-detector-180983024/